


Midnight

by GirlKnownSomewhere



Category: The Monkees (Band), The Monkees (TV)
Genre: 1990s, Band Fic, Cute, F/M, Ficlet, First Meetings, Flirting, Meet-Cute, Older Man/Younger Woman, One Shot, Romance, blatant romcom ripoff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24327643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlKnownSomewhere/pseuds/GirlKnownSomewhere
Summary: Peter and Julianna meet for the first time at one of Peter's local shows.
Relationships: Peter Tork/OFC
Kudos: 6





	Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, I have to say this is one of my all-time favorite ficlets I've ever written and not just because I completely ripped off my favorite movie, lol. If any readers of my stories are classic film buffs, this will probably remind you of a very famous romantic comedy. Happy reading 💞✨
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Monkees' brand or Peter Tork's likeness (I kind of, sort of own Julianna, lol)

One-shot: Midnight

Marin, November 1993

Julianna ran a hand over her face in front of the bathroom mirror in the local community center after turning the counter faucet off. It had been a month since she and her former boyfriend, Darrell, had broken up. Everything was going great until he got a management offer in Washington and suddenly she gets cold feet. She could move into an apartment with him with no problem, but moving two states over was just too much apparently. It was a common reason for a relationship ending, she kept reminding herself. Fortunately he only appeared disappointed and not angry, though the underwhelmed look on his face when she made her confession still hadn’t completely left her mind. Julianna let out a sigh before leaving the public restroom. She was currently in a long sleeved black top, grey skirt, matching black tights and boots, and her shoulder-length brown curly hair in a high ponytail. A pin hung below her shoulder with the word ‘usher,’ and she held a clipboard with the night’s line-up and schedule. 

She made her way to the backstage area again as she wondered for the dozenth time if she might have commitment issues. Granted, Julianna was the one getting dumped in her previous two relationships before Darrell, but the fact that leaving her hometown was all it took for her to end it didn’t bode well for the future. She was already a decade into adulthood, and she hadn’t been close to being proposed to yet. Not that it mattered much to her, she didn’t hate the idea of being single as a grown-up. But the older she became, the smaller her group of friends was getting with most of her college and high school pals already settled down. She wasn’t expecting it to feel so lonely so easily.

While she stood by stage-left, she leisurely watched a young, local band play a handful of original tunes. They sounded like they were trying to appeal to both the grunge and BritPop target demos, with some songs reminding her of Nirvana, and a few like Blur. A couple of times, two acts of the event asked Julianna for a reminder of what time they were on the schedule. But for the most part, she kept to herself and tried to focus on the atmosphere of the night. That was until suddenly a man appeared in front of her seemingly out of nowhere.

“Sorry we took so long. Some of us were coming from the north side of town and weren’t excepting that car accident.”

“What?” She asked confused.

“Oh, we’re signed up for tonight,” he explained.

“Okay…glad you made it,” she replied plainly.

The man, who looked relatively older than her, sported hair that went just below his jawline, a green shirt and black pants. He decided to continue speaking. “So how far along are we?”

“Oh, we’re about an hour into the show,” she responded.

“No, I mean what’s our spot on the line-up,” he clarified with an amused tone.

Julianna shook her head lightly, a little embarrassed, and glanced down at her board. “Right. What’s your name?” 

When she looked back up, she found him with a slightly surprised expression on his face. “Peter Tor—our band’s called Dashboard Saints.”

“Oh, music,” she took another glimpse at her pad. “Oh, you guys are actually up next.”

He froze. “…What do you mean ‘next’?”

She stood nonplussed. “I mean you’re on right after this act…”

“But there’s another band playing right now,” he argued.

“Yes.”

“So the arrangers set up two music groups right after each other?”

“Sure. Why not.” Julianna wasn’t seeing the big deal.

“Well that feels like kind of sloppy, honestly—for both the performers and the audience. Because the crowd likes this group right now, but then they might be too beat to get into the next band,” Peter theorized.

“I really doubt that’ll happen. It’s a 5-song set, not Lollapalooza,” she countered. There was about half a minute of them not speaking, with her watching the current band, and Peter looking for the rest of his group backstage. Even in the wings she could hear him take a couple of deep breaths, as if agitated. She wondered what that was about, since the center’s variety nights weren’t anything official, and really more like talent shows for adults. She spoke again when she heard a third deep breath. “Are you feeling alright?”

He ran a hand through his hair tensely as she gazed back at him. “Yeah. I just…could really use a drink.”

“Oh, we serve beer and wi—”

“No. I didn’t mean like that,” he rapidly corrected.

“We have water and sodas too.”

“I already had those,” he said distractedly.

Julianna crinkled her brow, unsure of what else she could offer. “Um, alright…”

Peter gave up looking around the room. “So what’s your name?”

She waited a second to respond, not really expecting him to get personal. “Julianna.”

His face lit up slightly at the answer. “Oh, that’s a great sounding name. Do you have a surname too, or are you going for a Roseanne type thing?”

That got a legitimate chuckle from her. “No. It’s De Luca.”

He smiled again. The casual discussion seeming to decrease his anxiety at the moment. “Well, it’s just as lovely.”

She grinned in return at the compliment. “Thanks.”

“That’s a strong Italian name. I take it you’re a local? You know, I’m imagining you having a lot of siblings, maybe sharing rooms, with the kitchen smelling like marinara, maybe your dad is a Sinatra fan, and you’re secretly not as traditional as the rest of the family—please stop me from sounding like an idiot any time soon,” he rambled in what sounded like near one breath with his nervousness re-awakening.

She shook her head in bemusement. “No, it’s fine. I’m overdue for a cultural stereotype.”

“Yeah. I’m a bigot, but for white Euro-Americans” He passed back just as sardonically and placed his hands on his hips idly. “So what do you do for a living? Are you at a university?”

“Oh, no. I graduated almost six years ago.”

He appeared a little impressed by that answer. “What’s your degree?”

“English,” she replied drolly at her own accomplishment.

“Hey, don’t discredit yourself, that’s a good department. My major was going to be English before I realized chords and strings were my calling.”

“I’m proud of my success,” she clarified. “There’s just not much to do with an English degree if you don’t want to go into teaching or editorials.”

“You could write a book,” he suggested.

“Oh. I’ve actually tried a couple times…I could never make it past 25 pages,” she informed with another weak expression.

“Well, I’m sure whatever you’re doing now is just as effective,” he assured. “Unless you’re here full time?”

“No, heh. I’m a librarian. That was my minor,” she revealed. “Goofy, huh?”

“Why would that be goofy?” He asked.

She was speechless for a moment, not actually intending to expand on that. “…I don’t know.”

There was more silence between the two, with Julianna looking back to the stage. “Oh, it looks like they’re almost done—” But when she glanced back to Peter, he had disappeared. Only seconds later she spotted him returning through the back door with some people she assumed were his band. There were three more men and a woman with very dark hair and an equally dark complexion. The latter of whom actually looked a little familiar to Julianna, though she didn’t know why that was. Peter strolled up to the feminine usher again with a relieved sigh.

“Quick, tell me something encouraging,” he requested worriedly.

She took in his general appearance instead. Mostly because she just met him presently, but also because the other band was taking a while to get off stage. Peter was underdressed, but in clothes more colorful than most men’s wear, and it didn’t come off immature either. His hair could use a cut, but it looked like he made an effort to run a comb or brush through it. His face was rather boyish, enough for Julianna to think he was probably referred to as ‘baby faced’ when he was younger. “You’re kind of cute.”

A big, surprised grin ran across his face at the comment. “You know, ‘kind of’ feels almost as good as ‘very.’”

She shook her head, a little embarrassed she spoke without thinking. “Sorry.”

He kept smiling. “No, it’s great. Any semblance of a compliment from a pretty girl is bound to do the trick.”

Julianna felt her cheeks heat up, which unnerved her, since she couldn’t remember the last time she blushed. She smiled awkwardly and stepped aside to motion him to the stage. “Oh, good luck. I mean, break a leg. Or is that just for acting?”

“Hey, I used to do some acting. Maybe the wish will work” he considered merrily. 

She smiled again and watched as he led his group on the stage to replace the previous one. Throughout the short concert, Julianna chose to pay attention to the performances rather than walk around like she would occasionally do previously. The band played fine, though Peter was clearly the most experienced. He stuck to lead vocals with either an electric guitar or keyboard. There was a man on drums, another man on bass, the woman on harmony, and the third man alternating between background vocals and rhythm guitar when Peter was on the keys. Julianna noticed that Peter would look to cue the woman the most of everyone. The songs were of the same light rock sounding genre as the Romantics or Badfinger, which she mostly attributed to their ages. Two songs were straight pop, which surprised her a little. The tunes were very catchy and she got a familiar déjà vu feeling from the melodies, but she didn’t know the lyrics. At the end of the performances, she noticed Peter and the fellow musicians stick around and mingle, which was pretty common for locals who performed at these events. She went back to her regular usher duties for the rest of the acts. As the night was winding down and all the shows were finished, Julianna placed her clipboard and nametag back in the main office at the front of the building; and grabbed her messenger bag and brown blazer from the same room. While exiting the building, she recognized Peter near the front entrance saying goodbye to a couple of other attendees. She smiled when he noticed her and gave a quick nod. 

“Hi. Fun night,” he commented.

She smiled a little more at his spirit. “I’m glad your show went well.”

“Thanks. Listen…” He motioned for her to stop before he continued. “I want to apologize for being rude when we showed up late.”

Julianna shook her head calmly. “You weren’t that bad. I work in customer service, I see people at their most unflattering all the time.”

“I’ll bet. Do you usually volunteer here?” He asked friendly.

“Yeah. I recently…got a lot of free time on my weekends,” she answered, not feeling like getting into her break-up.

“That’s great. You know, working events like this is a good way to meet new people and also get some more job experience,” he predicted.

“This is only my third night as an usher. But I signed up for the rest of the season, so maybe.”

There was a pause while both lingered outside the front door. Julianna tucked a loose string of hair behind her ear while she heard Peter clear his throat. “You live around town?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m staying north of San Rafael.”

_‘He seems nice enough.’_

“Oh, that’s a nice area.”

_‘Wow, she’s gorgeous.’_

“It is, though a lot of it is pretty suburban.”

_‘I wonder what his age is. He looks over 40, but not as old as Dad either.’_

“Living around families while single can be educational in a way. I sometimes prefer it to living in a city apartment complex.”

_‘Thank God she’s almost 30. I don’t need a repeat of Lauren so soon.’_

“I’m not much of a partier, so I guess it doesn’t make a huge difference for me. I usually just lounge around the area’s park.”

_‘I really should come up with some more exciting hobbies.’_

“Oh, I do the same in a lot of my free time. Especially in nature locations like that for photography.”

_‘If this ends up going anywhere, I’ll have to figure out a way to convince Deborah to leave the band. Great…’_

“I considered taking a photography course for an elective in school. But then I figured it might not be worth it since I’m not that artistic.”

_‘Nice, make yourself sound like a failure.’_

“Photography is intriguing though, because it’s constantly forming, so there isn’t necessarily an aesthetic criteria like with other artforms.”

_‘What am I saying?’_

“Aesthetic criteria? You mean whether it’s a good piece of art or not?”

_‘Ugh, is he an intellectual? I don’t know if I can deal with that again.’_

“I meant there’s barely any difference between the medium and artform with photography, basically less guidelines than with something like film or music.”

_‘This is way too pretentious. Shit.’_

“Oh, well…that’s interesting.”

_‘Jesus, no wonder he thought you were still a student.’_

There was a minor pause, but before it could get potentially awkward, Peter asked another question. “Are you from NorCal or did you come here for work?”

Julianna leaned against building wall for comfort. “I’m from here technically. You?”

“I’ve been back-and-forth between here and New York for the past decade. Life of a musician, constantly traveling,” he stated.

“Oh, so this is an actual career for you?” She said a little surprised.

He laughed. “Yeah. Hard to believe, right?”

She cringed at her own suggestion. “I just meant, you know, a lot of the musicians who play here have day jobs.”

“Consider me lucky then,” Peter jested with a playful smirk. “This is actually my second band currently. My main gig is a little more worldly when we reunite.”

Julianna stayed surprised at the information. “If you’re reuniting, I guess that means you’ve actually toured? Have you made a record?”

“A few,” he continued coyly.

“What’s the band’s name?”

“The Monkees,” he replied calmly.

Julianna stood with barely any reaction. “What?” She asked with a chuckle.

“We’re not new, but you might still recognize a song or two of ours on the radio,” he claimed just as coolly. 

There was another long, unconvinced pause on her end. “…You’re seriously a member of the Monkees?”

“Peter Thorkelson,” he formally introduced and extended his hand for a shake, which she distractedly accepted. “Or just Tork, when I’m on stage or in front of a camera.”

“That pop group who sing ‘Daydream Believer?’” She clarified, still not computing the new information fully.

“Yes. That’s actually my piano riff on the song,” Peter revealed lightly and still amused at her perplexed state.

As the younger woman tried to process the fact that she was talking to a celebrity currently, she haphazardly asked: “What the hell are you doing down here?”

Peter didn’t take offense to the bluntness, and just responded sarcastically. “You know, I’ve been trying to answer that question for 15 years.”

The response woke Julianna up from her present state. “It’s just…this isn’t even the ‘exciting’ part of town.”

He shrugged. “I prefer the modesty of the greater Bay Area,” was all he explained.

Julianna’s mind kept wandering until it suddenly occurred to her that Peter’s newfound identity meant he was definitely over 40, and probably closer to 50. Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh…”

“What?” He asked curiously.

“Well, um…you…look younger than your age,” she awkwardly replied.

He smiled again. “You’re on a roll with the compliments tonight,” he teased.

She cringed once more at her frank commentary. “I’m sorry. I swear I’m not usually this flighty.”

A couple of seconds went by until Peter tried to break the mild awkwardness. “You’re fine. In fact, I’ve rather enjoyed our sporadic conversations,” he reassured. 

“Me too,” she agreed and formed a small grin which showed she was being genuine. “I’m, er, sorry I didn’t recognize you either…I don’t really listen to pop music, to be completely honest.”

“That’s alright. Neither do I,” he insisted with a tone she couldn’t tell was serious or not. “Do you ever hang around this area outside of working?”

“Sometimes. Why?”

He stepped forward a foot and pointed across from them to a region beyond the parking lot. “I usually settle down in that park on late weekend mornings with a paperback or my acoustic…” Peter glanced back to Julianna to see barely any reaction at his statement. “I was just thinking, since you mentioned you like to visit parks…”

“Yeah…oh!” It dawned on her what he was suggesting. “Oh, yeah. That would be nice.”

“I think so too,” he agreed pleasantly. “What fits in your schedule?”

“Uh…” She tried to think of her regular life routine. “…Tomorrow?” _‘What? That’s way too soon.’_

Peter didn’t appear to agree, as another big smile formed at her answer. “Great! Is around 2:00 in the afternoon alright? Not sure how much of a morning person you are, but musicians are a bit like night owls.” 

Julianna was relieved he didn’t think she was moving too fast with her random suggestion. “No, that works for me…Should I bring anything?”

“Like what?” He asked.

“I don’t know…I usually go to the park on my own,” she sheepishly revealed. 

He gave her a reassuring grin for support. “I’m sure just bringing yourself would be alright.”

She smiled back. “Thanks…Where should we meet? By the pond?”

“Sure,” he continued to agree happily.

“Alright…see you tomorrow then,” she concluded. She gave a partial wave as she turned to walk to her car and saw him nod in return.


End file.
